Whistling Death is the true story, by the test pilot, of the rush to produce the F4U Corsair, the Navy fighter that brought America air superiority over the Japanese Zero in World War II. Here is the crash program - complete with crash landings - powered by the dedicated men and women of the home front who designed and built this revolutionary, tide-turning airplane. Boone T. Guyton, an experimental test pilot at Chance Vought during and after World War II, flew 105 types of aircraft in 45 years as a pilot.
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Test pilots have varied jobs: production, testing for faults in manufacture; engineering, to get data on the performance of airframe and engine; and experimental, to see if the plane flies and how far to take its performance. Of the latter it has been said, "hours of boredom interspersed by moments of sheer terror." Guyton was the test pilot (all three types) for the Vought Corsair. Entertainingly he relates how that plane became the success it was. There is technical data galore, but this is readably done. World War II was fought on American soil, too, by the author and his well-described comrades (including Charles Lindbergh), who tamed the raw power of the innovative F4U and made it ready to fight in the Pacific. Aviation readers yearn for stories just like this, and they are too rare in coming. General readers can skip the numbers and be entertained, too.
- Mel D. Lane, Sacramento, Cal.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Mel D. Lane, Sacramento, Cal.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Test pilot Guyton -- a Good Read,
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This review is from: Whistling Death: The Test Pilot's Story of the F4U Corsair (Hardcover)
Boone Guyton includes a lot of interesting information on the development history of the Vought Corsair. The narrative is conventionally done, starting with its role in the Pacific war, then a little bit on his getting started in aviation and in the Navy, and finally his flying experiences with Vought.
Some unexpected and appreciated extras included his description of reassembly testing of Vought dive bombers in pre-war France and his experiences with the "Flying Pancake". His two accidents flying the Corsair, as well as the loss of some friends, vividly pointed out the hazards of the test pilot life. Overall, a very good read, interesting and well written.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great story about a great airplane,
By
This review is from: Whistling Death: The Test Pilot's Story of the F4U Corsair (Hardcover)
Mr Guyton was one of the primary Corsair test pilots from the experimental model all the way up to the Korean War and provides many details about the process Vought went through to improve the design over time. I thought the section on testing new aileron modifications on a dailly basis was particularly interesting. He basically had a tape measure extended between his knees. He also had a gauge on the top of the stick that measured the amount of lateral force he was applying to the stick. His job day-after-day was to move the stick an inch to the left and then record the roll rate and the pressure reading in a log book. Then move it and inch to the right and record. Then an inch and a half to the left. Then and inch and a half to the right... He was on a regular diet of airsickness pills. He told stories of having to open the canopy to eject his breakfast and hoping that his mechanics wouldn't find the evidence on the tail group. Very readable book. The sections on dive testing were thrilling and terifying as well. I can't imagine pushing a plane over into a dive that nearly killed you the prior day.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Whistling Death: The Test Pilot's Story of the F4U Corsair (Hardcover)
Simply put, this is a wonderful first person account of the author's experience in the development of the Corsair. A great read.
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